The Unknown
by monkaholic
Summary: Marshall knows a lot of things, but then, there is one particular thing that he's not so sure of.


**Author's Note:** My first foray into the M/M fic world. This started off as a drabble in response to a prompt of "Sharing is caring" and evolved into a ficlet. I hope you enjoy it!

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He wasn't quite sure when it was exactly that he fell in love with her. He knew that the earth had a circumference of 24,902 miles. He knew that the tallest tree in the world was a coast redwood named Hyperion, reaching an astounding height of 378.1 feet. He knew that llamas belonged to the camelid family and had a lifespan ranging from 15 to 29 years. But if you were to ask him to pinpoint the _exact_ moment that he knew that Mary Shannon was the love of his life, he wouldn't have an answer.

It wasn't love at first sight. At least, he didn't think so. The first time that she had walked into the Albuquerque Marshal's Office was pretty much emblazoned on his memory forever. She had slammed through the door, making it crash against the wall, and Marshall had jumped out of his chair with his gun at the ready. She didn't even glance at him as she made her way to the nearest empty desk with a confident, determined stride. Marshall had never considered himself to be a gawking kind of person… not until he met Mary. He stood there with his gun pointing at her, his mouth open, his eyes focused on the golden strands of hair that fell over her ear as she looked down at her desk to arrange her pencils. The small shaft of sunlight that managed to enter through the blinds seemed to create a spotlight on her, giving her this sort of… _angelic_ glow. His breath had hitched as she looked up at him.

"Oh, good lord. Put that thing away before you hurt yourself, _doofus_." Then she had scoffed at him and went back to arranging her desk.

And Marshall had smiled. It was _intrigue_ at first sight, but not love.

There was the time when she bought him a glazed donut to celebrate their one year "anniversary." Marshall had been so shocked that he was speechless, probably for the first time in his entire life. He didn't think she was the sentimental type. Well, he did, kind of, but he didn't think she'd show that side of herself to anyone, least of all to him. But she had given it to him with a smile (the smile alone was a rare gift) and said, "Guess what wonderful woman has made your life a barrel of laughs for the past 12 months?"

Marshall had silently chuckled, staring at the donut in his hand, an indescribable warmth surging through his entire body. He swallowed, looked up at her, raised an eyebrow and said, "Paula Abdul?"

Mary grimaced at him. "Ugh, don't tell me you watch that American Idol crap."

"Hey, there have been some very talented musicians to--"

"Yeah, save it, Sanjaya. You owe me 6.50 for the donut."

"What?" He should have known better. "Isn't that a bit… _much_ for a donut?"

"You bought me the whole box, genius. It's my anniversary."

"_Right_." He frowned at her. _Our_ anniversary. He dug into his pocket looking for some loose change. Then he cursed his body for tingling when his fingers brushed against hers as he handed her the money.

"Thanks, Marshall," she said softly, giving him that crooked smile.

And Marshall had smiled back. He had felt all… gooey inside, and that… that had disturbed him. He wasn't the "I feel all gooey inside" kind of guy… not until he met Mary.

There was the time when she didn't even acknowledge that it was his birthday despite the numerous hints that he had dropped. And they weren't exactly subtle hints, either. He had given up by the end of the day. But then, when she turned off her desk lamp and put on her leather jacket, she reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a cupcake. Marshall had been watching her out of habit, and he couldn't help the smile that danced across his face as she drew near. She laid the cupcake on his desk, put a hand on his shoulder, and leaned down to his ear to whisper, "Happy birthday, Marshall," and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. And Marshall had smiled, a hand to his burning cheek as he watched her walk out the door.

And there was the time when he had been explaining to her the difference between the colors of orchid and lavender, and she had said, "Sweet Jesus, would you shut the hell up? You're such a girl." And he had smiled.

The first time that he had seen her in a dress, that was… that was quite an awakening. But that wasn't love. That was most definitely lust. Hey, he's a guy, and the dress had… _generous_ cleavage, and she had smelled good, and he just couldn't help it. His hands had yearned to… never mind.

"What you thinking about, Marshall?"

Marshall squirmed in his seat, trying to redirect his thoughts to the present. He was in the passenger seat of Mary's car. They had just successfully transported a witness to Las Cruces and were on their way back home. It was hot, they were tired, and Marshall knew that Mary was alarmed because he hadn't said anything for the past 50 miles. He just… didn't have the strength to make conversation. Not after she had told him that she decided to make a change in her life and get serious with the baseball player.

Marshall sighed, closed his eyes and said, "Nothing."

He could feel Mary looking at him. Searching him for answers. Boring into his soul the way that she always did, then retreating when she found something that she didn't want to face.

"Come on, Marshall. Sharing is caring."

She knows. He knows she knows. He knows that she's not ready to hear it. So he sucks in a breath that burns his chest and he says, "Baseballs have 108 stitches."

"What?"

Marshall smiled a little at her annoyed tone. "Baseballs. It takes 108 stitches to sew them together."

Mary looked over at him like he was crazy. The breeze from the open window shot her hair into all different directions, and somehow… somehow, she looked more beautiful than ever. "Christ, Marshall, _that's_ what you've been thinking about?"

Sort of. "Yeah. That and donuts."

"Donuts?"

Marshall shrugged and said, "I like donuts."

And she smiled at him.

He knew that the praying mantis was the only insect that could turn its head 360 degrees. He knew that Henry Waterman was the inventor of the elevator. He knew that of the 206 bones in the human body, 106 of them were in the hands and feet. He knew that he was in love with Mary Shannon. He just didn't know when it had happened.


End file.
